Home Again
by SilverTurtle
Summary: Faith finally makes it home from a difficult trip, only to walk into a bit of a problem already in progress. Fun times.


HOME

***'***

She was too fucking tired for this.

A whirlwind four-day trip all over the states chasing down a small gang of demon cultists who'd been sacrificing young women and ingesting their organs as part of some convoluted prophecy to raise their minor hell god culminating in a drawn-out fight in some stinking mudhole of a town in the middle of the night which left her covered in blood, demon mucus, and probably cow shit, if she hadn't missed her guess, had left her entirely unprepared for what she walked into when she opened the door to the new Slayer Central.

At first it appeared to be chaos. Girls and young women rushing all over the place, shouting back and forth, and arming themselves from stashes kept hidden all over the place. In their line of work it never hurt to keep a few weapons handy, especially now that the underworld knew where they lived. It was kind of hard to miss the sheer amount of energy a gathering of dozens of Slayers puts into the universe just by existing.

She'd walked in and all she could feel was tension and excitement laced with just a touch of fear. It practically slapped her in the face, thick and hot, the moment she'd stepped inside.

It immediately set her on edge.

Further than she'd been anyway. Four days, a long battle, and two trans-Atlantic flights on no sleep had spared her no reserves to face whatever crisis she'd walked into.

She stuck two fingers in her mouth and released a sharp whistle that stilled all the young Slayers in their tracks.

When she was certain she had their attention she dropped her duffel bag on the floor, crossed her arms, leaned against the wall and asked, "The fuck is going on?"

"Faith!" one of the new Slayerettes, small and mousy by the name of Nina, one who hadn't been with them through the Sunnydale collapse, wove through the throng, "I'm so glad you're back. You will not believe this." She grabbed Faith's arm, just above the elbow, and tried to lead her to the basement.

"Hey, whoa," Faith shook her loose and propped a fist on her hip, "Is this apocalypse related?"

The girl's eyebrows drew down, "Well, no."

"Someone dying down there?"

"Uh, I don't think so?" She began to look puzzled.

"Anyone gonna die in the next eight hours?"

"P-probably not..."

"Great!" Faith straightened up with a smile, hefted her bag, and made for the stairs and her third floor room, "Then it can wait until after I sleep. Catch you later!"

She didn't wait for any reply. She took the stairs two at a time, found her floor, found her door, collapsed into her bed, and finally got some much needed rest.

It was good to be home.

***'***

She woke up to shrieking.

A shrill voice pierced through the walls and directly to her brain.

"Keep that thing away from me!" the voice cried.

Stomping feet, a slammed door, and Faith gave up on getting any more rest. She should probably go see what was up.

She rolled herself out of her bed and stood, intending to head downstairs. But as she took her first steps she realized she was still wearing yesterday's clothes. She could feel the airport grime clinging to her. Gross.

Whatever was going on would have to take a back seat to a shower.

***'***

Refreshed and finally ready to meet the day she headed downstairs.

When she reached the first floor she noticed three things all at once.

One: It was very quiet.

In a house so full of women, even one so large as this, there was never a truly silent moment to be had. This would have been enough to worry her, but there were more unsettling things to draw her focus.

Such as number Two: There were Slayers posted at every exit, all armed with their weapons of choice and all intensely focused.

This was truly unusual. They had enough wards and mundane security that they usually only had a small handful of girls patrol the grounds at all times of the day. Never had they been used in the house like this.

And Three: There was also a Slayer posted at the basement door and she was clenching the mystic axe like the world depended on it.

Never a good sign.

"So," she grinned at the startled looks she received for daring to break the silence, "what've I missed?"

Just then Dawn appeared from the kitchen, "There you are. The girls told me you were back. C'mon, you should be in the basement with the others."

"I don't even know what's happening," Faith grumbled. Then, louder, "And I'm starving! Can't I eat first?"

Dawn tossed her an apple Faith hadn't noticed her carrying, "Eat and walk. You're gonna want to see this."

***'***

"You're shitting me," Faith almost laughed as soon as she caught sight of what had everyone's panties in knots.

Dawn was right, she definitely wanted to see this.

"Red's got a vamp doppelganger," she gave the pale vampire a slow once over. Leather everywhere, corset, pants, killer boots, dark red lipstick and a teasing grin. She corrected herself with an appreciative hum, "A _hot_ doppelganger."

She could practically feel Willow's slack-jawed stare, "No. Nonono, ew! You do not get to think I'm hot." Willow paused, frowning, and considered her words, "Not that I'm not hot. I'm totally hot! I'm so hot. But no! Not to you!"

"Relax Red," Faith sauntered further into the room and leaned on the bars of the cell (which somehow ended up in every basement of any home Slayers occupied) to take a closer look at short, pale, and predatory.

The petite vampire came closer to Faith and trailed a light touch down her arm. She gave an appreciative hum of her own and said in a voice that was half purr and all sex, "We could have fun, the two of us, if you'd let me out. Or step in here, that'd be fun too."

Faith did laugh then as she stepped back from the bars, "Sorry, I leave the grave robbing to B."

She wasn't even mad when the strappy sandal smacked her square in the back. It'd been worth it for the startled laughter Dawn wasn't even trying to suppress.

Yeah, it was definitely good to be home.


End file.
